8 February 2021

Newsletter Articles

Important dates

3.00pm Tuesday 16th February to 3.00pm Wednesday 17th February - Clontarf Imparja Cup sleepover & Carnival
Friday 19th February – School photos
4.00pm Thursday 25th February– Meet the Teachers event
Thursday 25th February 5pm – AGM Meeting
8.00 am Thursday 04th March to 4.00pm Friday 05th March – Clontarf Year 7 & 8 Camp – Alice Springs
Monday 15th March to Friday 19th March – Clontarf Year 8 & 9 Camp to Port Lincoln
Thursday 25th March –Battle of the School Bands

From the Principal

Dear families

I acknowledge that as members of the Centralian Middle School community we meet and learn on the land of the Arrernte people. We pay our respect to elder’s past, present and emerging.

As I was walking around the classrooms introducing myself to the students I often ask them about their family. I knew Alice Springs was a small town- but I didn’t realise how small this place is. I went on a trip down memory lane as I looked into the faces of the next generation. This is what I love about this place and this school community.

I have been thoroughly impressed by students demonstrating our school values of respect, responsibility and fairness in the classroom when they are learning. Our staff at Centralian Middle School are such an awesome team. I have the utmost amount of respect for them and the work that they do. I have had the privilege of working with many of our staff over many years and I look forward to getting to know our new staff. Our collective focus this year will be on engagement in learning. Year 7-9 is such an important time of development and we know that relationships are vital. We also know that students need to be attending regularly.

At times we can be overwhelmed by things that are not quite right in our world. COVID has shaken us and we are in uncertain times. What gives me great comfort is focusing on things we can change. When we change our focus to enjoy the present moment. This year I want to focus on things we can change together to make our school even better.

I invite you to come and say hello – to tell me what you would like to see at the school. Please also come along to our event in Week 4. We will send notes/texts and Facebook posts closer to the date.

As well as welcome new students into the school, we have a number of new staff. We are delighted to welcome the following teachers to the school:

• Ricki Willis – Year 7 Maths and Science
• Bradley Gill – Year 7 Special Education
• Alex Byers – Year 8 Special Education
• Stacy Vueti – Year 9 Maths and Science
• Sarah Steele-Park – Health/PE

We would also like to welcome the following support staff to the school:

• Megan Petery – is our new nurse
• Staci Trindle –Stars Foundation Program Manager
• Samantha Hoogeveen-Hill – Program Mentor
• Cheacee Taylor-Fitz – Program Mentor

We have included photos of our new staff below so that you can get to recognise their faces.

Warm regards
Cassie O’Bree
Principal

Welcome to our new staff

And a warm welcome to a number of new faces to the school this year.

Introducing our team

School Leadership

Cassie O’Bree – Principal
Laryssa Montgomery – Assistant Principal
Simon Rowland – Assistant Principal
Ben Balmer – Assistant Principal

Year 7 Team

Laryssa Montgomery – Team Leader

7-1 SGC Bradley Gill and Sue Killingbeck
7-2 SGC Catherine Harris and Tenneil Wark
7-3 HG and 7-4 Maths / Science – Cassandra Wallace
7-4 HG and 7-3 English / Humanities – Frances Wilden
7-5 HG Maths / PE – Justin Latham
7-6 HG and 7-5 English / Humanities – Joanne Dermody
7.7 HG English / Humanities / Performing Arts – Natalie O’Connor
7.6 and 7.7 Maths / Science – Ricki Willis
7.4 Science – Natasha Mavec

Year 8 Team

Team Leader – Ben Balmer

8-1 SGC Al Byers and Barry Georgopoulos
8-2 SGC Rajinder Uppal and Jeremy Cook
8-3 HG, 8-3 and 8-4 English / Humanities – Katharine Adams
8-4 HG, 8-3 and 8-4 Maths /Science – Oliver Johns
8-5 HG, 8-5 and 8-6 English / Humanities – Ashleigh Casey
8-5 and 8-6 Maths / Science – Catriona Thomson
8-6 HG and Cross school HPE – Sarah Steele Park
SESO in 8-3 Nola Hunter
Tutor across year 8 – Siobhan O’Tuathail

Year 9 Team

Simon Rowlands – Team Leader

9.1 SGC Andrew Brown and Shelly Caspani
9.3 HG, 9.4 English / Humanities – Wellington Pasi
9.4 HG and 9.3 Kaye Pederson – PE
9.5 HG and 9.6 Emily Webster – English / Humanities
9.6 HG and 9.5 Clarence Jeanny – Maths /Science
9.3 and 9.4 Maths / Science – Stacy Vueti
9.5 Maths / Science – Jacelyn Anderson
Tutor across year 9 – Aidan Lijanga alias Junior
VET Hospitality Scott Berry – Trainer & Assessor
VET Conservation and Ecosystem Management Jacelyn Anderson – Teacher & Assessor

Engagement and Special Education Team

Michelle Pinto – Senior Teacher & Team Leader of SGC Classes

Ian Shepherd – Maths Special Education Teacher 9.1, 7.1 & 8.2
Linda Lau and Alex Pye – Utnenge –Teacher and SESO
Carol Turner – Assistant Teacher

Teachers working across the school

Stone Lee – Visual Art
Julie North – Textiles and Home Economics
Stephen Ryan – Design and Technology
Natalie O’Connor – Performing Arts
Emma Forrester – Enrichment Program and Student Representative Leader

Wellbeing support for students

Denise Casey – Home Liaison Officer
Jamahl Hayes – Aboriginal Education Worker
Sarah Sarmiento – Counsellor
Megan Petery – Health Promoting School Nurse

Administration and school support

Carol Watson – Business Manager
Kiri McKay – Front Office
Julia Pearson – Attendance & SAMS Administrator
Tiara Hawea – Executive Support
Carolyn Bindle – Science
Sandrine Frapier – Library
Shirley Liang – Canteen
Daniel Mar Fan – Maintenance

Polly Farmer Foundation

Emma Forrester – Program Manager
Georgia Barlow – Tutor

Clontarf

Tom Clements – Director
Damien Hall
Cheyne Miles
Pietje Span

Stars Foundation Program

Staci Trindle – Program Manager
Samantha Hill – Program Mentor
Chealcee Fitz-Taylor – Program Mentor

School news and updates

Welcome message from leaders across the school.

Year 7

Welcome to all the Year 7 Students and Families it is fantastic to see all our new Year 7 students engaged in classes and ready for learning each lesson. We have commenced our learning program with all students participating in the full range of subject here at CMS and demonstrating our school values of Respect, Responsibility, and Fairness. As students were leaving school on Monday, some of their responses were they had an “awesome day” and “best day of school ever!”

On Wednesday, students participated in a Science Prac where they explored different liquids and the consequences of getting these liquids on their hands during an experiment. It was fantastic to see students working together, helping each other measure the liquids and cleaning up their stations at the end of the lesson. In Home Economics (cooking), students enjoyed cooking chocolate chip coloured pancakes, again students worked together to make the batter, cook, and clean up their stations. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to chat, please contact your young person’s Home Group teacher or Laryssa Montgomery the Y7 Team Leader. We can’t wait to meet everyone at the Meet the Teacher evening later in the term.

Laryssa Montgomery

Year 8

Welcome to Year 8 in 2021. Our Year 8 teachers this year are looking forward to seeing the year 8’s become confident learners who are proud of their environment, have a strong sense of responsibility and are good at making and keeping positive relationships with each other. We are really excited that we are already very full in Year 8 and students have come in ready to learn and showing fantastic habits for learning.

We are beginning the year with a strong focus on being prepared, so we will be reminding all students to have a pen, pencil and their books ready for each class. It is the students’ responsibility to be prepared for learning at all times.

We have a fantastic team of teachers in year 8, who have already shown their dedication to being prepared by coming in on the Saturday and Sunday before school started to make sure their classrooms were ready to go.

As the Assistant Principal for year 8 this year, I am personally looking forward to seeing your young person grow and mature into a successful and productive CMS and Alice Springs community member. I am excited to share the year with such an enthusiastic group of staff and students, and can’t wait to celebrate the learning that will come out of this year. I welcome family to contact me at any stage by contacting the school, and encourage you to be active participants in your young person’s learning journey with us.

Ben Balmer

Year 9

I have been an assistant principal at CMS for the past 18 months and I am very much looking forward to working with our Year 9 students this year. As an educator I believe the most effective teaching is founded on relationships. Students don’t learn from people they don’t like. I feel it’s vital that students are encouraged to believe in their own abilities, and that as a school we are meeting the individual needs of our students. It’s a privilege to work with the team at CMS. The commitment from staff towards our students is second to none.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss any aspect of your young person’s schooling. It would be great to hear from you as to what would make CMS great! Perhaps consider joining our school council?

Simon Rowlands

Small Group Classes

I am the Senior Teacher for Inclusive Education. I have worked at CMS since 2015 in various roles that aim to provide quality educational programs for students that cater for diverse needs. I work with students and teachers across all year groups striving to establish and monitor learning plans that help our young people achieve their personal and educational goals.

Michelle Pinto

Utnenge

The Utnenge programme has got off to a flying start this year with a mix of Year 7, 8 and 9 students. We provide a supportive and enriching environment with flexibility for those who need it. We work closely with other areas of the school to provide our students opportunities to engage with mainstream classes and support them to move back into their full year level programmes at an appropriate time.

Linda Lau

VET - Conservation and Ecosystem Management

This year Centralian Middle School is running 3 units as an elective over semester 1 from the nationally recognised Certificate I Conservation and Ecosystem Management:

• Work safely
• Support nursery work
• Support ecological restoration

Learning will happen outside of the school grounds, in a classroom and industry environment at the Arid Zone Research Institute, at National Parks, nurseries and other places around central Australia. The program will be run on Tuesdays.

Students will be…

• using materials, tools and equipment for nursery and conservation / land management work
• taking part in conservation and restoration work
• growing and planting seedlings in a nursery
• learning how workplaces and people get work done safely

This gives students a chance to pick up real tools and learn real industry skills.

They will meet people working in conservation and ecosystem management, e.g. Parks & Wildlife rangers, plant nursery and horticultural workers

To give this elective a try, the excursion paperwork ends to be handed into the Front Office by Monday 8th February.

For more information click the link below, or contact Jacelyn Anderson, jacelyn.anderson@education.nt.gov.au, or the school on 089552333

Stars Foundation

The Stars Foundation is very excited to be commencing two new programs in Alice Springs this term at Centralian Middle School and Centralian Senior College. Stars has been providing full-time mentoring support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls at schools in the NT since 2015. Since then, we have seen outstanding outcomes among our students for example, last year 98 per cent of our senior students completed Year 12. Our program is based around four key pillars of personal development:

• Healthy Lifestyles
• Wellbeing
• Employment, Education & Training
• Community, Culture & Leadership

The key to the success of our program are our full-time, on site mentors, who provide the girls with the supported they need to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Here at the middle school campus, our team members are:

• Staci Trindle-Price – Program Coordinator
• Samantha Hoogeveen- Hill – Program Mentor
• Chealcee Taylor-Fitz – Program Mentor

We are looking forward to providing the highest quality support to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women at Centralian Middle School. If any families would like to get in touch with us, please don’t hesitate to call or drop by and see us.

Clontarf Corner

Welcome Back!

A huge welcome back to our Clontarf families, students, and wider school community.... We trust you all had a lovely holiday break. Our team here at Clontarf are looking forward to supporting our fellas enrolled in the academy again, through their education here at CMS.

Clontarf Foundation Mission Statement:

“The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.”

Programme Background:

Using supportive relationships, a welcoming environment, and a diverse range of activities, the young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in our programme develop improved self-esteem and confidence which assists them to participate in education, employment and society in a positive way.

Polly Farmer

The Polly Farmer Follow the Dream program supports and empowers Aboriginal students to pursue their dreams at school and beyond by providing academic and social support. Academic enrichment lies at the heart of the program, with each student offered literacy & numeracy support, specialist tutoring, personalised learning plans, one-on-one mentoring, and practical experience. Throughout the academic year, students also engage in a range of extra-curricular activities including camps and excursions that broaden their horizons, build resilience, develop confidence and promote cultural pride. Students who are part of the 'Follow the Dream Family' gain a sense of identity, belonging, and purpose.

The program operates afterschool between 3pm and 5pm and provides a drop off service at the end of the day. Enrolment forms are available at the front office and from Miss Emma in the Follow the Dream room.

Emma Forrester

Community Announcements

Young Australian Citizen of the Year

Congratulations to Declan Miller, who was awarded the 2021 Young Australian Citizen of the year, in recognition of his contributions to the local community and demonstrated leadership to his peers. Congratulation Declan, you are an inspiration to all our young people.

Casting Children and Adults for drama series in Alice Springs.

Alice Springs production Company, Brindle Films, is filming a kid’s drama series called MaveriX between April and June 2021. For more details see the flyer below.

Alice Springs Scout Group

Our local Scout Group commences back for 2021 this week. All details in the flyer below.

Sports voucher

Semester 1 2021 Sports vouchers are now available. Parents and carers will need to apply online each semester by going to the following website:

Please note if the details of the young person are already on the system, a voucher will be available to print or save straight away, if the details are not found by the system a voucher will be sent to the email address you have provided within 7 days.

More information is available at the link below, alternatively you can also contact our Sport Voucher team by phone on 1800 817 860 or by email sport.voucher@nt.gov.au.

SportVoucher.jpg

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